Introduction Spinal simple bone cysts, also known as solitary cysts, are extremely unusual benign primary bone tumors with few cases reported in the literature. Case Presentation Incidental Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) finding of a C2 Simple bone cyst in a 13-year-old female patient is reported. Complementary studies suggested the benign nature of the lesion. Patient underwent cervical curettage followed by tumor excision. A lateral submandibular approach to the upper cervical spine was used and careful bone resection was possible with a radiofrequency assisted burr and no instrumentation or fixation was required. The stability of the defect was ensured by filling it with bone allograft and by prescribing a postsurgical plastic cervical collar to maintain neck immobilization. Histological examination supported the diagnosis of simple bone cyst. At 6–12-month follow-up the patient presented no recurrence or symptomatology. Conclusions Solitary bone cysts are infrequent entities in the cervical vertebrae and preservation of spine stability without instrumentation to avoid neurological complications is often challenging. In this case, the proximity of the cyst to the right vertebral artery and the risk of injury were high; however the surgical approach used was successful and no recurrence or instability was evidenced on postoperative MRI.
Subaxial cervical spine traumatic injuries represent a problem with high medical, social, and economic impact for health systems which is increasing with changes in the increasingly urbanized lifestyle, therefore, the use of diagnostic tools in a protocolized way, correct clinical assessment, multidisciplinary management, and adequate treatment by the spine specialist doctor have a positive impact in the short and long term. Considering the challenge of always having a spine surgeon available, a narrative review of the literature in the databases Google Academic, PubMed, with MeSH terms: Cervical spine, Spinal Injuries, ligament injury, Vertebral artery injury, Subaxial cervical spine injury classification system, is performed as an aid for the first contact physicians, allowing them to optimize resources, materials and diagnostics, to positively impact on the reduction of complications due to failure to detect traumatic injuries of the subaxial cervical spine.
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